Method and system for an integrated leaky wave antenna-based transmitter and on-chip power distribution

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for an integrated leaky wave antenna-based transmitter and on-chip power distribution are disclosed, and may include supplying one or more bias voltages and ground for a chip including a plurality of power amplifiers (PAs) utilizing bias voltage and ground lines. One or more leaky wave antennas (LWAs) may be communicatively coupled to the power amplifiers. Wireless signals may be transmitted utilizing the LWAs integrated in the lines in the chip. Radio frequency (RF) signals may be transmitted via the plurality of LWAs. The RF signals may include 60 GHz signals and the LWAs may include microstrip and/or coplanar waveguides. A cavity length of the LWAs may be configured by a spacing between conductive lines in the microstrip and/or coplanar waveguides. The LWAs may be configured to transmit the wireless signals at a desired angle from a surface of the chip.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to, claims the benefit from, and claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/246,618 filed onSep. 29, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/185,245filed on Jun. 9, 2009.

This application also makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,212 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,295 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,277 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,192 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,224 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,176 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,246 filed on even date    herewith; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,324 filed on even date    herewith; and

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for an integrated leaky wave antenna-based transmitterand on-chip power distribution.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for an integrated leaky wave antenna-basedtransmitter and on-chip power distribution, substantially as shown inand/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as setforth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system withintegrated leaky wave antenna transmission and power distribution, whichmay be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of exemplary leaky wave antenna transmissionand on-chip power distribution, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7B is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip transmission lines, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for an integratedleaky wave antenna-based transmitter and on-chip power distribution, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system foran integrated leaky wave antenna-based transmitter and on-chip powerdistribution. Exemplary aspects of the invention may comprise supplyingone or more bias voltages and/or ground to a chip comprising a pluralityof power amplifiers utilizing bias voltage and/or ground lines,respectively. Each of the plurality of power amplifiers iscommunicatively coupled to one or more leaky wave antennas. The one ormore leaky wave antennas are integrated within the bias voltage and/orground lines. Wireless signals may be transmitted utilizing the leakywave antennas integrated in the bias voltage and ground lines in thechip. Radio frequency (RF) signals may be transmitted via the pluralityof leaky wave antennas. The RF signals may comprise 60 GHz signals andthe leaky wave antennas may comprise microstrip waveguides. A cavitylength of the leaky wave antennas may be defined by a spacing betweenconductive lines in the microstrip waveguides. The leaky wave antennasmay comprise coplanar waveguides where a cavity length of the leaky waveantennas may be defined by a spacing between conductive lines in thecoplanar waveguides. The leaky wave antennas may be configured totransmit the wireless signals at a desired angle from a surface of thechip. Signals may be amplified using the plurality of power amplifiers.A gain of the plurality power amplifiers may be configured for a desiredtransmitted output power.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system withintegrated leaky wave antenna transmission and power distribution, whichmay be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless device 150 may comprise an antenna151, a transceiver 152, a baseband processor 154, a processor 156, asystem memory 158, a logic block 160, a chip 162, leaky wave antennas164A, 164B, and 164C an external headset port 166, and a package 167.The wireless device 150 may also comprise an analog microphone 168,integrated hands-free (IHF) stereo speakers 170, a printed circuit board171, a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, a dual digital microphone176, a vibration transducer 178, a keypad and/or touchscreen 180, and adisplay 182.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvertbaseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas,which may be represented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver152 may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RFsignals to baseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one ormore antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna 151,or the leaky wave antennas 164A and 164B. Different wireless systems mayuse different antennas for transmission and reception. The transceiver152 may be enabled to execute other functions, for example, filteringthe baseband and/or RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RFsignals. Although a single transceiver 152 is shown, the invention isnot so limited. Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as aseparate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may bea plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In thisregard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers mayenable the wireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wirelessprotocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wirelesstechnologies handled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA,CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH,and ZigBee, for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process basebandsignals for transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandsignals received from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be anysuitable processor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality ofcontrol and/or data information, including parameters needed tocalculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/orgain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a portion of theprogrammable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of variousfunctionalities of the wireless device 150. For example, the logic block160 may comprise one or more state machines that may generate signals tocontrol the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logicblock 160 may also comprise registers that may hold data forcontrolling, for example, the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandprocessor 154. The logic block 160 may also generate and/or store statusinformation that may be read by, for example, the processor 156.Amplifier gains and/or filtering characteristics, for example, may becontrolled by the logic block 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and reception ofBluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processingand/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BTradio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BTsignals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BTradio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or feedback informationto/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based oninformation from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals tothe processor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s),and/or code that may process audio signals received from and/orcommunicated to input/output devices. The input devices may be within orcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise theanalog microphone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aidcompatible (HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and thevibration transducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable toup-convert and/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequenciesfor processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, the CODEC172, and the leaky wave antenna 164A. The number of functional blocksintegrated in the chip 162 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. 1.Accordingly, any number of blocks may be integrated on the chip 162depending on chip space and wireless device 150 requirements, forexample.

The leaky wave antennas 164A, 164B, and 164C may comprise a resonantcavity with a highly reflective surface and a lower reflectivitysurface, and may be integrated in and/or on the chip 162, the package167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. The lower reflectivitysurface may allow the resonant mode to “leak” out of the cavity. Thelower reflectivity surface of the leaky wave antennas 164A, 164B, and164C may be configured with slots in a metal surface, or a pattern ofmetal patches, as described further in FIGS. 2 and 3. The physicaldimensions of the leaky wave antennas 164A, 164B, and 164C may beconfigured to optimize bandwidth of transmission and/or the beam patternradiated. In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antenna164B may be integrated in and/or on the package 167, and the leaky waveantenna 164C may be integrated in and/or on the printed circuit board171 to which the chip 162 may be affixed. In this manner, the dimensionsof the leaky wave antennas 164B and 164C may not be limited by the sizeof the chip 162.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A may comprise a plurality of leaky wave antennas integrated inand/or on the chip 162, and may be integrated into power traces inand/or on the chip 162. In this manner, the power traces may be utilizedto transmit RF signals and provide power to various regions of the chip162. Accordingly, separate signal lines may not be required to carrysignals to be transmitted by a separate antenna.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. Theelectrical signals generated by the analog microphone 168 may compriseanalog signals that may require analog to digital conversion beforeprocessing.

The package 167 may comprise a ceramic package, a printed circuit board,or other support structure for the chip 162 and other components of thewireless device 150. In this regard, the chip 162 may be bonded to thepackage 167. The package 167 may comprise insulating and conductivematerial, for example, and may provide isolation between electricalcomponents mounted on the package 167.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAG coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves andconvert them to electrical signals. The electrical signals generated bythe dual digital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thusmay not require analog to digital conversion prior to digital processingin the CODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable notification of an incomingcall, alerts and/or message to the wireless device 150 without the useof sound. The vibration transducer may generate vibrations that may bein synch with, for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The leaky wave antennas 164A may be integrated in power traces in and/oron the chip 162, thereby providing a plurality of transmission sourceson the chip 162 as well as providing power and ground lines. Byintegrating a plurality of leaky wave antennas across a chip withseparate driver circuitry for each antenna, heat may be dissipatedthroughout the chip thereby increasing power transmission efficiency ofthe wireless device 150.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2,there is shown the leaky wave antennas 164A, 164B, and/or 164Ccomprising a partially reflective surface 201A, a reflective surface201B, and a feed point 203. The space between the partially reflectivesurface 201A and the reflective surface 201B may be filled withdielectric material, for example, and the height, h, between thepartially reflective surface 201A and the reflective surface 201B may beutilized to configure the frequency of transmission of the leaky waveantenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C.

The feed point 203 may comprise a input terminal for applying an inputvoltage to the leaky wave antenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C. The inventionis not limited to a single feed point 203, as there may be any amount offeed points for different phases of signal, for example, to be appliedto the leaky wave antenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C.

In an embodiment of the invention, the height, h, may be one-half thewavelength of the desired transmitted mode from the leaky wave antenna164A, 164B, and/or 164C. In this manner, the phase of an electromagneticmode that traverses the cavity twice may be coherent with the inputsignal at the feed point 203, thereby configuring a resonant cavityknown as a Fabry-Perot cavity. The magnitude of the resonant mode maydecay exponentially in the lateral direction from the feed point 203,thereby reducing or eliminating the need for confinement structures tothe sides of the leaky wave antenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C. The inputimpedance of the leaky wave antenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C may beconfigured by the vertical placement of the feed point 203, as describedfurther in FIG. 6.

In operation, a signal to be transmitted via a power amplifier may becommunicated to the feed point 203 of the leaky wave antennas 164A,164B, and/or 164C with a frequency f. The cavity height, h, may beconfigured to correlate to one half the wavelength of a harmonic of thesignal of frequency f. The signal may traverse the height of the cavityand may be reflected by the partially reflective surface 201A, and thentraverse the height back to the reflective surface 201B. Since the wavewill have traveled a distance corresponding to a full wavelength,constructive interference may result and a resonant mode may thereby beestablished.

Leaky wave antennas may enable the configuration of high gain antennaswithout the need for a large array of antennas which require a complexfeed network and suffer from loss due to feed lines. The leaky waveantennas 164A may be integrated in power traces in and/or on the chip162, thereby providing a plurality of transmission sources on the chip162 as well as providing power and ground lines. By integrating aplurality of leaky wave antennas across a chip with separate drivercircuitry for each antenna, heat may be dissipated throughout the chipthereby increasing power transmission efficiency of the wireless device150.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a partially reflectivesurface 300 comprising periodic slots in a metal surface, and apartially reflective surface 320 comprising periodic metal patches. Thepartially reflective surfaces 300/320 may comprise different embodimentsof the partially reflective surface 201A described with respect to FIG.2.

The spacing, dimensions, shape, and orientation of the slots and/orpatches in the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be utilized toconfigure the bandwidth, and thus Q-factor, of the resonant cavitydefined by the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 and a reflectivesurface, such as the reflective surface 201B, described with respect toFIG. 2. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may thus comprisefrequency selective surfaces due to the narrow bandwidth of signals thatmay leak out of the structure as configured by the slots and/or patches.

The spacing between the patches and/or slots may be related towavelength of the signal transmitted and/or received, which may besomewhat similar to beamforming with multiple antennas. The length ofthe slots and/or patches may be several times larger than the wavelengthof the transmitted and/or received signal or less, for example, sincethe leakage from the slots and/or regions surround the patches may addup, similar to beamforming with multiple antennas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the slots/patches may be configuredvia micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches to tune the Q of theresonant cavity.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a leaky wave antenna comprising thepartially reflective surface 201A, the reflective surface 201B, and thefeed point 203. In-phase condition 400 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C whenthe frequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 matchesthat of the resonant cavity as defined by the cavity height, h, and thedielectric constant of the material between the reflective surfaces.

Similarly, out-of-phase condition 420 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antenna 164A, 164B, and/or 164C whenthe frequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 does notmatch that of the resonant cavity. The resulting beam shape may beconical, as opposed to a single main vertical node. These areillustrated further with respect to FIG. 5. The leaky wave antennas 164Amay be integrated in power traces in and/or on the chip 162, therebyproviding a plurality of transmission sources on the chip 162 as well asproviding power and ground lines. By configuring the leaky wave antennasfor in-phase and out-of-phase conditions, signals may be directed out ofthe chip 162 in desired directions.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a plot500 of transmitted signal beam shape versus angle for the in-phase andout-of-phase conditions for a leaky wave antenna.

The In-phase curve in the plot 500 may correlate to the case where thefrequency of the signal communicated to a leaky wave antenna matches theresonant frequency of the cavity. In this manner, a single vertical mainnode may result. In instances where the frequency of the signal at thefeed point is not at the resonant frequency, a double, or conical-shapednode may be generated as shown by the Out-of-phase curve in the plot500. By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals may be directed out of the chip 162 indesired directions.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a leaky waveantenna 600 comprising the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B. There is also shown feed points 601A-601C. Thefeed points 601A-601C may be located at different positions along theheight, h, of the cavity thereby configuring different impedance pointsfor the leaky wave antenna.

In this manner, a leaky wave antenna may be utilized to couple to aplurality of power amplifiers with varying output impedances. Similarly,by integrating leaky wave antennas in power and ground traces, theimpedance of the leaky wave antenna may be matched to the poweramplifier communicating a signal to be transmitted.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of exemplary leaky wave antenna transmissionand on-chip power distribution, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 7A, there is shown on-chip leaky waveantenna transmission and power distribution system 700 comprising aV_(DD) line 701A, a ground line 701B, leaky wave antennas 703A-703D, andpower amplifiers (PAs) 705A-705D. There is also shown the transceiver152, described with respect to FIG. 1.

The V_(DD) line 701A and the ground line 701B may comprise metal, orother conductive material, traces integrated in and/or on a chip, suchas the chip 162. The V_(DD) line 701A and the ground line 701B mayprovide power to the chip 162 and may also be utilized to transmit RFsignals by integrating leaky wave antennas in the conductive traces.

The leaky wave antennas 703A-703D may be substantially similar to theleaky wave antennas 164A, 164B, and 164C, and may be integrated inand/or on the V_(DD) line 701A and the ground line 701B. The leaky waveantennas 703A-703D may receive input signals to be transmitted from thePAs 705A-705D.

The PAs 705A-705D may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interfaces,and/or code that may be operable to amplify signals received from othercircuitry in the transceiver 152. The PAs 705A-705D may becommunicatively coupled to the leaky wave antennas 703A-703D, and mayreceive signals to be amplified from other circuitry in the transceiver152, for example.

In operation, the PAs 705A-705D may amplify signals received from thetransceiver 152, which may then be communicated to the leaky waveantennas 703A-703D. By integrating the leaky wave antennas 703A-703Dinto the V_(DD) line 701A and the ground line 701B, power may besupplied to the chip 162 and signals may be transmitted from the chip162 from a plurality of locations, thereby distributing wirelesstransmission across the chip 162. In this manner, power requirements ofthe PAs 705A-705D may be reduced compared to a single power amplifierfor the desired power level. In addition, heat generated in amplifyingsignals to be transmitted may be more uniformly distributed on the chip162 by transmitting signals from a plurality of locations via the leakywave antennas 703A-703D.

The leaky wave antennas 703A-703D may comprise microstrip and/orcoplanar waveguides formed by the V_(DD) line 701A and the ground line701B. The leaky wave antennas 703A-703D may be distributed in aplurality of locations along the V_(DD) line 701A and the ground line701B.

The invention is not limited to a single bias voltage and ground line.Accordingly, any number of bias voltage lines may be incorporated,depending on desired voltage levels and chip space requirements, forexample. Thus, leaky wave antennas may be integrated into two biasvoltage lines or between signal lines and a ground line.

FIG. 7B is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip transmission lines, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7B, there is shown amicrostrip transmission line 720 and a coplanar transmission line 730,either of which may be used in the V_(DD) line 701A and/or the groundline 701B described with respect to FIG. 7A. The microstrip transmissionline 720 may comprise signal conductive lines 723, a ground plane 725,an insulating layer 727 and a substrate 729. The coplanar transmissionline 730 may comprise signal conductive lines 731 and 733, theinsulating layer 727, and the substrate 729.

The signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise metal tracesdeposited in and/or on the insulating layer 727. In another embodimentof the invention, the signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 maycomprise poly-silicon or other conductive material. The separation andthe voltage potential between the signal conductive line 723 and theground plane 725 may determine the electric field generated therein. Inaddition, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727 may alsodetermine the electric field between the signal conductive line 723 andthe ground plane 725.

The insulating layer 727 may comprise SiO₂ or other insulating materialthat may provide a high resistance layer between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725. In addition, the electric fieldbetween the signal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725 isdependent on the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727.

The coplanar transmission line 730 may comprise the signal conductivelines 731 and 733 and the insulating layer 727. The thickness and thedielectric constant of the insulating layer 727 may determine theelectric field strength generated by the propagating signal. Theresonant cavity thickness of a leaky wave antenna may be dependent onthe spacing between the signal conductive line 723 and the ground plane725, or the signal conductive lines 731 and 733.

The substrate 729 may comprise a semiconductor or insulator materialthat may provide mechanical support for the microstrip transmission line720, the coplanar transmission line 730, and other devices that may beintegrated within. In another embodiment of the invention, the substrate729 may comprise Si, GaAs, sapphire, InP, GaO, ZnO, CdTe, CdZnTe and/orAl₂O₃, for example, or any other substrate material that may be suitablefor integrating microstrip structures.

In operation, a bias voltage may be applied across the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725, and/or the signal conductive lines731 and 733. The thickness of a leaky wave antenna resonant cavity maybe dependent on the distance between the microstrip transmission line720 and/or the coplanar transmission line 730.

In addition to DC bias and ground, a signal to be transmitted, such as a60 GHz RF signal, may be communicated to the signal conductive lines723, 731, and 733, and the ground plane 725. In this manner, the powerline traces on the chip 162 may transmit signals as well as supply DCbias.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for an integratedleaky wave antenna-based transmitter and on-chip power distribution, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, instep 803 after start step 801, bias voltage and ground may be applied tosupply and ground lines, and the power amplifiers may be configured fora desired gain level. In step 805, signals to be transmitted may becommunicated to a plurality of leaky wave antennas. In step 807, theleaky wave antennas may communicate the signals. In step 809, if thewireless device 150 is to be powered down, the exemplary steps mayproceed to end step 811. In instances when the wireless device 150 isnot to be powered down, the exemplary steps may proceed to step 803 toconfigure the power amplifiers at desired gain levels.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forsupplying one or more bias voltages and/or ground to a chip comprising aplurality of power amplifiers (PAs) 705A-705D. The power amplifiers(PAs) 705A-705D may be communicatively coupled to leaky wave antennas(LWAs) 164A, 600, and/or 703A-703D. The leaky wave antennas 164A, 600,and/or 703A-703D may be integrated within the bias voltage and/or groundlines 701A, 701B, 723, 725, 731, and/or 733, respectively. Wirelesssignals may be transmitted utilizing the leaky wave antennas 164A, 600,and/or 703A-703D integrated in the bias voltage and ground lines 701A,701B, 723, 725, 731, and/or 733 in the chip 162. Radio frequency (RF)signals may be transmitted via the plurality of leaky wave antennas164A, 600, and/or 703A-703D. The RF signals may comprise 60 GHz signalsand the LWAs 164A, 600, and/or 703A-703D may comprise microstripwaveguides 720. A cavity length of the leaky wave antennas 164A, 600,and/or 703A-703D may be dependent on a spacing between conductive lines723 and 726 in the microstrip waveguides 720.

The leaky wave antennas 164A, 600, and/or 703A-703D may comprisecoplanar waveguides 730 where a cavity length of the leaky wave antennas164A, 600, and/or 703A-703D may be dependent on a spacing betweenconductive lines 731 and 733 in the coplanar waveguides 730. The LWAs164A, 600, and/or 703A-703D may be configured to transmit the wirelesssignals at a desired angle from a surface of the chip 162. Signals maybe amplified for the transmitting using the plurality of poweramplifiers 705A-705D. A gain of the plurality power amplifiers 705A-705Dmay be configured for a desired transmitted output power.

Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine and/orcomputer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, amachine code and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for anintegrated leaky wave antenna-based transmitter and on-chip powerdistribution.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: performing usingone or more circuits in a wireless device, said one or more circuitscomprising a plurality of power amplifiers on a chip, wherein each ofsaid plurality of power amplifiers is communicatively coupled to one ormore leaky wave antennas, said one or more leaky wave antennas beingintegrated in power supply voltage and ground lines to said chip:supplying one or more power supply voltages and ground to said chiputilizing said power supply voltage and ground lines, respectively; andtransmitting wireless signals utilizing said leaky wave antennasintegrated in said power supply voltage and ground lines in said chip.2. The method according to claim 1, comprising transmitting radiofrequency (RF) signals via said plurality of leaky wave antennas.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein said RF signals comprise 60 GHzsignals.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said leaky waveantennas comprise microstrip waveguides.
 5. The method according toclaim 4, wherein a cavity length of said leaky wave antennas isdependent on a spacing between conductive lines in said microstripwaveguides.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said leaky waveantennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
 7. The method according to claim6, wherein a cavity length of said leaky wave antennas is dependent on aspacing between conductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 8. Themethod according to claim 1, comprising configuring said leaky waveantennas to transmit said wireless signals at a desired angle from asurface of said chip.
 9. The method according to claim 1, comprisingamplifying signals for said transmitting using said plurality of poweramplifiers.
 10. The method according to claim 1, comprising configuringa gain of said plurality power amplifiers for a desired transmittedoutput power.
 11. A system for enabling communication, the systemcomprising: one or more circuits in a wireless device, said one or morecircuits comprising a plurality of power amplifiers on a chip, whereineach of said power amplifiers is communicatively coupled to one or moreleaky wave antennas, said one or more leaky wave antennas beingintegrated in power supply voltage and ground lines to said chip, saidone or more circuits being operable to: supply one or more power supplyvoltages and ground to said chip utilizing said power supply voltage andground lines, respectively; and transmit wireless signals utilizing saidleaky wave antennas integrated in said power supply voltage and groundlines in said chip.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidone or more circuits are operable to transmitting radio frequency (RF)signals via said plurality of leaky wave antennas.
 13. The systemaccording to claim 12, wherein said one or more circuits are operable towherein said RF signals comprise 60 GHz signals.
 14. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisemicrostrip waveguides.
 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein acavity length of said leaky wave antennas is dependent on a spacingbetween conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
 16. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisecoplanar waveguides.
 17. The system according to claim 16, wherein acavity length of said leaky wave antennas is dependent on a spacingbetween conductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 18. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable toconfigure said leaky wave antennas to transmit said wireless signals ata desired angle from a surface of said chip.
 19. The system according toclaim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to amplifysignals for said transmitting using said plurality of power amplifiers.20. The system according to claim 11, wherein a gain of said pluralitypower amplifiers is configured for a desired transmitted output power.